Jessica Rowe on why she left Studio 10: ‘Most days I would be close to tears’

Jessica Rowe has opened up about her decision to leave Studio 10 last year, saying she was “close to tears” after each episode.

Jessica Rowe has opened up about her decision to quit Studio 10, saying she was “close to tears” at the end of most episodes.

Rowe, who had been on Studio 10 since it launched back in 2013, announced on air in March last year that she was leaving the show to spend more time with her family.

“I want to be a more present mother for my girls, Allegra and Giselle,” she said on Studio 10 at the time. “They need their mum. I want to be there in the mornings for them, to take them to school. It is something that I need to do, it is as simple as that.”

Peter Overton and Jessica Rowe with their daughters Allegra and Giselle.

But in a new interview with The Australian Women’s Weekly, Rowe revealed her mental health was also a factor in her decision to leave.

“I could feel at the end of each show, not every day, but most days I would be close to tears,” she told the magazine. “I’d feel that behind my eyes and was just about keeping it together. And I thought, ‘Why am I doing this to myself?’

“I knew that I was heading down, I knew that my anxiety was there, that I was getting depressed and that if I didn’t make a change I’d start to falter.”

Rowe told the magazine she loved her role on Studio 10 but deep down she knew she needed to make a change.

“Now my daughters were getting older, I realised they needed me more than ever,” she said. “I couldn’t ignore my life’s greatest work — being the best mother for them.”

Pete and Jess have been married for more than 15 years.

Rowe’s husband, Peter Overton, told Women’s Weekly that life has been much easier and happier since Rowe gave up Studio 10.

“It’s been a game changer for our family and especially for Allegra,” he said. “Both girls needed mum and we could do it. A lot of families can’t, and we know we’re lucky in that regard. It’s just lovely in the mornings now.”

Rowe is set to release her fourth book, Diary of a Crap Housewife, next week.

“My book is all about being gentle on yourself,” she says on her website.

“We put way too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect in all parts of our lives. That’s impossible — and no fun! It’s my rallying cry to women that you are good enough.”